Neeo Avery is ringing in the new year in style, and as a Penn State commit.
The versatile class of 2023 four-star edge prospect from Olney (Md.) Good Counsel announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Friday night, a few hours prior to start of 2022.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Avery can play tight end, edge, or defensive line, and it will be settled once he gets to campus and he continues his development.
“I will be going to Penn State,” Avery said. “I got to the decision by weighing all my options out, honestly. I feel like I will go in and make an impact there my first year.
“I looked at it from a business standpoint, and I like the atmosphere up there. They have one of the best fan bases. The ‘White Out’ game I went to was crazy. Those are some of the main reasons.”
Avery is the sixth member of Penn State’s class, and the second-highest rated in it. He is the No. 19 edge and No. 208 prospect in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. Penn State now has the No. 3 class nationally and remains No. 1 in the Big Ten in the 2023 class rankings.
He also had Georgia high on his list, and he nearly committed there in the summer, but he decided to wait and wound up choosing the Nittany Lions.
What position he plays when he gets to campus is not much on his mind.
“I know I can play the tight end position and excel tremendously,” Avery said. “I also know I can play the D-End position and excel tremendously. So that is something I will have to figure out down the road.”
Avery made several visits to campus in the summer and he was back in the fall, and each time he left with a positive feeling about the coaching staff, particularly coach James Franklin.
He said the details Franklin pays attention to in recruiting stood out to him.
“He makes it a family environment,” Avery said. “It’s all about the little things. I noticed for every one of his players, when it’s their birthday, he posts it on Twitter, telling them happy birthday. It’s really the little things and you can see how everyone bought into the program.”
In the class, Avery joins five-star offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier of Ashburn (Va.) Broad Run, four-star tight end Mathias Barnwell of Fredericksburg (Va.) Riverbend, four-star cornerback Lamont Payne of Bridgeville (Pa.) Chartiers Valley, offensive lineman Joshua Miller of Chester (Va.) Life Christian and tight end Joey Schlaffer of Reading (Pa.) Exeter Township.